Colleges are split between crafting campuswide AI strategies and relying on ad hoc classroom rules. Opinion leaders warn that the worst policy is no policy at all, leaving faculty and students confused about acceptable use. Purdue’s institutional plan for AI is being held up as an example of proactive governance while critics call for clearer faculty support and student guidance. At the same time, small experimental tools are emerging in classrooms. A chatbot developed by two scholars aims to coach students in civil disagreement and classroom debate; early adopters report improvements in discussion quality. Institutions must balance academic integrity safeguards with pedagogical uses that leverage generative AI to scaffold student learning. Generative AI refers to systems that create text, images, or code from prompts and can be used for tutoring, drafting, and research support.